Even a film festival as Important and Prestigious as Cannes needs a couple movies to serve as a breather between the usually heavy, serious fare that marks the majority of the programming. This year, that duty falls on Takashi Miike‘s “Blade Of The Immortal,” with the prolific Japanese filmmaker serving up a samurai saga.
Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sôta Fukushi, Ebizô Ichikawa, Min Tanaka, and Tsutomu Yamazaki star in the movie about an immortal samurai who attempts to reclaim his soul by helping a young woman avenge her parents. As you’ll see in the first trailer for the movie, the body count is going to be pretty high. Here’s the official synopsis:
Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle.
Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu.
The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine… the 100th film by master director Takashi Miike.
“Blade Of The Immortal” will screen Out Of Competition at Cannes. No word yet on a U.S. release date, but let’s hope this is as good as it looks. [Screen Daily]